‘In the wake of the London and Manchester attacks, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy is increasingly in the news and under scrutiny. Radicalisation is a difficult concept to map on to a system like ours, which separates the definition of criminal behaviour and punishment from civil sanctions. In this week’s podcast, Marina Wheeler discusses some of the ways the law is trying to cope (Law Pod UK Episode 8, available on Monday 7 August). She and others from 1 Crown Office Row will be discussing this and related issues at a seminar on Monday 11 September. You will find full details at the end of this post.’

‘There is “absolutely no basis” for an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) policy that the VAT treatment of supplies made in relation to a building by a sub-contractor depends upon the treatment adopted by the main contractor, the UK’s First-tier Tribunal has decided in a case concerning student accommodation.’

‘Section 125 of the Education Reform Act 1988 provides that any institution conducted by a higher education corporation shall be conducted in accordance with Articles of Government. The Articles must make provision with respect to specified matters. They may make provision with respect to other matters. These other matters include procedures for the appointment, promotion, suspension and dismissal of staff.’

‘I was contemplating my lectures for the coming academic year and I started to feel annoyed – I think the two were connected. Lecturing has started to seem a rather odd and inefficient way of communicating information about constitutional law to students. Though lectures can be fun to deliver, they are also a pain. For the lecturer, they consume a significant amount of time and energy, raising a sense of déjà vu, as last year’s insights and jokes are dusted off for a new audience. But things are worse for those who have to listen to the thing: dragged into a lecture that can last for an hour or more, a moment’s lack of concentration can mean important points are missed – and few in the audience will only suffer a moment’s inattention. It is becoming obvious that the opportunities presented by the Internet will change this over the coming few years; I would bet that the old-style lecture will only last little while longer (though there are strong forces of creaking institutional inertia protecting it). Putting to one side next year’s teaching, I began to speculate on the ways in which the Internet might change the ways in which we, as legal scholars, communicate our subject to students and to people more generally in the medium term. In this post, I will reflect on how I see legal academia developing over the next five or so years – I think we are on the cusp of a very exciting and largely positive shift in the way in which we operate.’

‘The Lord Chief Justice has signalled concerns about the impending reform to educating law students, saying that a “very broadly based legal education” and law schools “as the centres of excellence” must not be diluted.’

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is to launch a consultation this summer setting out the rule changes it needs to implement its fiercely contested training reforms, and among them will be a new route to qualification similar to solicitor apprenticeships.’

‘The McKenzie Friend Marketplace (MFM), which hopes to help hundreds of law students find paid work offering legal services, has responded to criticism from practitioners by announcing that it will ban active students from providing legal advice – although they will be able to give clients other types of support.’

‘Students wishing to preserve the right to apply for judicial review of a decision by their higher education institution while pursuing independent adjudication need not necessarily apply for protective proceedings, a High Court judge has said.’